


Made with a Purpose

by AngelEyes2494



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Comfort, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Homeworld (Steven Universe), Homeworld Hierarchy (Steven Universe), Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Steven Universe, Original Character(s), Other, Steven Universe References
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 02:51:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15742662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelEyes2494/pseuds/AngelEyes2494
Summary: As soon as Gems emerge they are programmed knowing exactly what their purpose is and what they were made to do. No one questions this until a certain human comes to live in the Human Zoo and teaches Homeworld what being made with a purpose truly means.





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any material except for my original characters and story plot. All of Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar!

“So Emma” the school guidance counselor Miss Burns began, rummaging through the papers contained in the file before her. Breaking the silence and pulling the small teenager from her trance who was currently looking out the office window.

“Huh?” came Emma's half focused reply as she sat up straight in the too-big office chair and began to dangle her legs off of the chair's edge. Frowning down at how she was too short to touch the ground.

“The school principal contacted me today about you.” The young blonde woman placed the papers down and peered over the rims of her glasses, measuring Emma's surprised and nervous expression to the news before a small smile lit up her face.

“And I was very pleased to hear that not only are you doing extremely well in the Robotics club but that you have passed all of the requirements needed to receive your High School Diploma already. Congratulations!” she exclaimed as she came around to the other side of her desk to embrace Emma.

Standing awkwardly as the counselor engulfed her in a hug, Emma tensed briefly before allowing herself to tentatively return the embrace. She wasn't accustomed to being touched and was still in shock from the news.

Leaning away from the girl whom she considered to be more of a daughter to her than a student, Miss Burns ruffled the girl's chin length, curly brown hair before holding her at arm's length. Holding Emma's small, pale hands in her own “I'm so proud of you” she cooed.

“Thanks, Miss Burns,” Emma replied, looking up at her with a half smile. Which was quickly replaced with a slight frown of confusion, “But I thought I needed more credits? At least another semester.”

Emma began to pace around the little school office as she listed off her rapid thoughts “I have the Delmarva State competition to go to with the Robotics Club. I applied to the debate team and have yet to hear back from their team Captain about if their lead debater is still sick or if he's to return and I'm not needed. I'm the head of my grade's student council... I can't leave school already! I'm still needed here!”

She knew she should be more outwardly happy about this, it was a great accomplishment and something she had been striving for since she started skipping grades in middle school. It was just hard knowing that her time here at school would be ending so soon. She would miss seeing her friends every day and having somewhere to go to that wasn't a foster home.

Seeing multiple emotions flash by in the girl's icy blue eyes, Miss Burns gently laid her hand on Emma's shoulder and turned Emma to face her, giving her shoulder a light squeeze. “I know it's been difficult for you.” She said gently, “Moving from family to family while trying to keep up with the workload of finishing school so early. You've done so well for yourself at so young of an age, to think you're only barely 16 and you'll be receiving your diploma”. Resting a hand on Emma's cheek, she gently ran her thumb along her pale skin and softly spoke. “Be proud, nothing can take this accomplishment away from you.”

Clasping her hands tightly in front of her and averting her gave, Emma let out a soft “I know”, and returned to her seat. Resuming her watch out the window, Emma murmured “Did the Principal also tell you I'm being moved again?”

With a pained look, Miss Burns replied. “Yes, that is why I called you in here. To discuss not only your soon-to-be graduation but your future living arrangements. Your social worker called and said your current foster home put in their one month notice for you to be moved just last week. Do you have any idea why that might be?”

Propping her head up on her elbow, Emma kept her eyes downcast “Yes, it's because Mrs. Elms is sick and Mr. Elms feels it's too much for him to take care of both me and his dying wife at the same time. Even though I keep to myself and try my best to help any way I can.”

Tears begin to blur her vision as she looked at a bleak Miss Burns, pain etched in her voice.

“It's because I'm a burden. No matter how much I work or how hard I try, everyone always leaves or doesn't want me anymore.” Emma cries out as soft, uncontrollable sobs escape her.

Miss Burns wished so badly she could go to the girl and comfort her, but school regulations were very strict with adult-student interactions. Especially those with wards of the state. Their previous exchange just moments ago even was a risk. She needed this job and hoped the girl breaking apart before her would understand, and forgive her one day for being yet another person who couldn't be there for her. All she could do was wait for the girl to calm down before resuming their discussion, as heart-wrenching as it was, and as much as she knew Emma needed someone to be there. That person could not be her.

If only Emma knew how important she was to so many. In just a single year since she had started coming to this school, Miss Burns had noticed not only a vast improvement in her socialization than her state paperwork implied but in the spirits of the student body as a whole. Emma was one to make quick friends and who uplifted others around her despite her own struggles and hurts. Always the first to give an encouraging word or a helping hand, she gained the respect of many. Even the “cool” kids and known bullies had a respect for Emma few people could garner out of immature teens. There was just something about her. A quiet strength and leader quality that even Emma didn't realize about herself. One day, she hoped Emma would see this about herself and not let circumstances out of her control put out this rare light everyone else saw in her.

A few moments of sobbing later and an exchanged Kleenex or two, Emma was calmed down enough for Miss Burns to continue. “Do you know by any chance the names or address of your new family? I will need to mail your diploma to you if you will no longer be zoned for this school and able to attend our ceremony.”

“No. I am never told where I am going next. I'm just told to pack up my things and get in the transporter's car when it's time to move.” Emma answers in a lifeless voice. “May I leave now?” She cuts in before Miss Burns can continue. This supposed to be happy meeting has become one of the most painful with her favorite counselor, and she couldn't wait to go home and enjoy one of the last times she'd get to spend with her friends.

With a sigh, Miss Burns grants Emma's request “Yes, you are free to go”.

As Emma slings her backpack over her shoulder and begins to leave Miss Burns stops her “Wait Emma-- If it makes you feel any better, I will miss you.” She states with a sad smile. “You've been a pleasure to mentor and one of the brightest students I've ever met. Come visit me again sometime if you can. My door is always open to you.”

With a soft smile and one final look of farewell, Emma quietly closed the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my story! This is my very first attempt at writing a fanfiction of any sort so please feel free to leave any constructive criticism/comments. I will do my best to read them all and implement them in future chapters! This work is also published on Fanfiction.net and Wattpad.


	2. Friends Come and Go

Emma walked the school halls in a daze, the students around her migrating towards the exit in a haze as she carelessly trudged along, lost in thought. 

_So, this is it._ Emma sulked to herself. _My time in school is over; my time at home is over._

Stepping out into the bright rays of the mid-afternoon sun, Emma quickly pulled the hood of her sweater up over her mop of short curls. Shielding herself from the blinding light reflecting off of the pavement as well as the watchful eyes of the remaining students on the school grounds. 

“Hey Emma!” One of the guys from the group several feet away called out, waving for her to come over.

Normally she'd eagerly go over to join them, but that too had changed. Unlike them, she had some serious problems to contemplate and they wouldn't know how to help her. She didn't want them to worry, and it was best for them if she started the detachment process now. It would hurt less this way if she started to ignore them instead of just up and disappearing from their lives. She knew all too well what that felt like and would never make another feel that same pain, no matter how much it hurt her. 

Waving him off and signaling with her hands that she had somewhere to be, she quickly turned on her heel and walked off. Not noticing the several looks of concern and attempts to regain her attention by other students at her departure. 

Alone once more, Emma forced herself to swallow down the ball of anxiety forming in the pit of her stomach and focus.

 _What am I going to do now? What is there to look forward to?_ She pondered to herself. She was going to lose the entire life she had built for the past year here, again. Sure her friends would wish her farewell promising to keep in touch online. But their lives would go on and the contact would become less and less over time, it always did. Her future looked bleak and lonely if she didn't come up with a new game plan for how to deal with these up-coming changes. 

The once leisurely stroll to her friend Pete's house for the weekly Robotics Club meeting went by in a blur, and before she knew it she was standing in front of his garage door.

Remembering what countless therapists had taught her to calm her anxiety and relax; Emma took a few shaky breaths in through her nose and out her mouth, and quickly knocked three times on the garage door. 

As the door slowly creaked open Emma felt something heavy bump into her leg. It was a robot, her robot, and it was beginning to give off smoke.

“WOO HOO! Hey Emma! Look! I got Sputnik to work!!” called a boisterous voice from inside the garage. 

“Pete”, Emma drawled, “you started the sumo up for the first time without me? And you named her Sputnik?! I thought we agreed on Supakura.”

Sure enough, upon closer inspection Emma caught the generic robot name “Sputnik” painted in bold, black letters over the fighter bot's red paint. Rolling her eyes, Emma began to push the fifty-pound robot back into the garage.

“Pete, you can't just take a robot of this size out on a test run by yourself. What if it malfunctioned while you were alone and it blew up or something?” Peering into the darkness of the garage Emma allowed her eyes a moment to adjust before they came to rest on Pete.

Peeking at her from his hiding place was the form of the short boy. Red shaggy hair and bright green eyes standing out in the darkness.

“Pete... come on turn on a light will ya? I need to put Su-pa-ku-ra back on her platform so we can get back to work” Emma made sure to emphasize each syllable of the sumo's real name as she heaved to push the robot.

“Alright, alright." Pete sighed, "Here let me get the light and help you before you trip on something and hurt yourself.” As he quickly went to get the light.

Once the robot was back on the workbench Emma turned to her companion with her arms crossed, disapproval settling on her features.

“Emma come on, I needed to test the code I finished programming today and Spu--”

Emma raised an eyebrow.

“Supakura” Pete corrected with a nervous smile, emphasizing the splash of freckles across his nose and cheeks, “was calling to me! We were going to take her out today anyway, and I thought it would be cool to have her greet you at the door. Wasn't that awesome?” Pete's eyes looked like they had stars forming in them, if that was possible, from excitement.

Emma let out a sigh at his enthusiasm. It was hard to stay mad at him when he was so excited. “Even still Pete, you could have really hurt yourself or done some serious damage to the bot. We haven't tested the remote controller enough to know if it's safe to take her out of the garage yet. Not to mention when you sent her outside to me she started to give off smoke.”

“Oh... what do you think caused that?” Disappointment filling his voice.

“I'm not sure, I'll have to open her up and check the wire connections to make sure they’re sending your programmed signals correctly and not overheating.” Tapping her chin Emma began to gather the necessary tools as she thought out loud.

“Could it be the motor? No, no I soldered that myself...”

A few minutes of tinkering passed until Pete cleared his throat to gain her attention.

“Hey Emma..?”

“Yes, Pete?” A bit of irritation creeping into her voice at the interruption.

“How did your meeting go with the guidance counselor today?”

Emma ignored him as she asked a question of her own.

“Why aren't the others here? I thought they all wanted to be present for the first official test drive.” 

“Yeah about that” Pete began to twine his fingers together as he nervously laughed.

Half turning to peer at him through her peripheral, Emma's gaze bore into him, “What did you do Pete?”

“Well... I sort of... maybe... canceled the meeting for today?” he squeaked the last part as she stared at him furiously. “WHY would you do THAT?” 

If looks could kill.

With an audible gulp Pete pressed on “Well... I wanted to have you see it first. And I wanted to talk to you... I have a surprise for you! Wait right there.” 

Before Emma could respond Pete bolted out of the garage and into his house.

Slowly closing her eyes, Emma let out a frustrated noise in the back of her throat and went back to her work.

She knew Pete had a crush on her. He made it obvious with stunts like this where he took any opportunity he could get to be alone with her. Always trying to impress her or give her some small trinket as a gift. There was even that one time at their first Robotics Competition that he attempted to ask her out on a date, but stuttered and cut off all of his sentences mid thought so much the competition had started and the conversation was cut short. 

Face softening at the memory, Emma knew she cared about him too, but that she had to be firm with him and tell him no. She would be leaving soon, and like with her friends she had to allow the detachment process to begin. She would miss Pete terribly, but this was the way things had to be. She had no choice.

“Here it is!” Pete announced with triumph. 

“You brought me...?” Emma held the last letter of her question as Pete unveiled her laptop, “my laptop” she finished flatly. 

“But wait! There's more” he wiggled his eyebrows as he opened it and two slips of paper fell out into her hand. Two tickets to the end of the school year dance.

“Pete...” 

“WAIT! There's even more!” He sang over her impending rejection they both knew was coming.

“I tinkered with your computer a bit” Her narrowing eyes had him immediately hold up his hands in pleading defense, “I know I should have asked you first, but listen. I installed all of the latest software on the market, a new graphics card, more RAM, upgraded the hardware space, you name it this baby has it! You can connect to any Wi-Fi no matter how weak the signal and most important, with the new cmd window I installed you can hack into any system in the galaxy!” 

At her perplexed look, he continued in a more calm tone, “You've mentioned wanting to learn the coding side of Robotics, and I want to learn the physical building side. So I was thinking maybe this coming break we could spend some time together teaching one another. But, in order for that to happen, you'd need to have a computer that can handle the kind of work required for this stuff.” 

Scooting a workbench stool closer to where she had been sitting, he placed the laptop in front of her and booted it up.

“Pete the tickets...”

Making sure to look at the booting computer screen and not at her, he hunched his shoulders as he cut her off “Just hang onto them and think about it ok?”

Emma felt the ball of anxiety from before unfurling in the pit of her stomach as pangs of guilt coursed through her. She kept her feelings to herself as the computer finished booting and Pete walked her through the new upgrades.

“And last but certainly not least, in fact, it's the most important upgrade, is the cmd window.” He instructed with vivid hand motions. 

“Now if you put this command in here... Ah ha! There it goes.” At the push of a button, hundreds of lines of code started racing down the screen at unreadable speeds, giving Emma the beginnings of a headache.

“Pete… can we go through this more later? I'm starting to not feel well and it's getting late. Mr. Elms will want me home for dinner soon.”

“Oh really? But it's so early still.” He murmured in defeat. 

“Its 5 o'clock, Pete. I have to help him make sure Mrs. Elms eats and do my homework still.” Emma said in annoyed exasperation as she began to pack up her things in her bag. Sometimes Pete's enthusiasm made him pushy, which while it was a trait she loved about him made him grate on her nerves after a while.

“Emma wait before you go.” She froze as she felt him grip her arm and hold her in place, he knew she hated being touched unexpectedly. “Tell me what happened at the meeting today, is everything ok with you?”

Doing everything in her power to not rip her arm out of his grasp, she gently pried his fingers off of her arm as she steeled herself to talk about the dreadful meeting from earlier. 

She filled him in on her graduating, which he was shocked and then ecstatic to hear, but then his face fell as she continued. “I'm moving Pete. I'm being placed in a new foster home in three weeks.” She stated matter-of-factly.

“Three weeks!” He shrieked. “What do you mean three weeks!? What about graduation? What about the club? What about the dance...” She could see tears begin to form in his eyes as he brokenly mentioned the dance. 

“I'm sorry Pete. If it was up to me I would stay. But it never is up to me, it never matters what I want or what I build for myself in a home.” Wiping her eyes with her sweater sleeve, she hoped Pete couldn't see the unwelcome tears welling up. “Other people decide when that life for me ends and there is nothing I can do about that. Not for the next two years.”

She quickly shoved the tickets into his chest as she grabbed her things and briskly walked towards the door. 

“Give those to someone who will actually be able to be there for you Pete.” Turning to him fully as the sunset behind her in the open doorway cast her in shadow. “I'm sorry I can't be what you wanted me to be, if my life were up to me I would have said yes to those tickets...” Seeing him awkwardly holding the tickets to his chest from how she shoved them to him, frozen in hurt and shock, she knew she couldn't leave him with that. He deserved better from her. “And if it were up to me, I would say yes to going out with you too. I'm sorry. I'll see you later, goodbye.” 

Unintentionally slamming the door as she ran down the street to her house, she had this horrible feeling telling her that was the last time she'd ever see Pete again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering, Supakura is Japanese for "Sparkler".  
> If you're reading this, thank you Brendan! Getting to talk with you about Robotics taught me a lot and made a big part of this story possible.


	3. Home is Where the Heart Isn't

Silently opening the front door with her house key attached to her book-bag, Emma prayed Mr. Elms wouldn't hear her come in and she could go straight to her room for the night. Clutching her stomach that growled with hunger pains, she decided trying to sneak food wasn't worth it, she'd eat later when he was asleep.

Tiptoeing past the foyer and getting as far as the third step up the stairs, she froze as she heard the step beneath her squeak. Her hope shattered as she cringed away from Mr. Elms' booming voice coming from the dining area. "Emma. Get in here. NOW."

Squeezing her eyes shut and forcing herself to fix her features to show no emotion, Emma slowly made her way towards the inevitable verbal lashing.

Sitting at the head of the table was a very cross Mr. Elms – his once jet black hair, now peppered with gray, was slicked perfectly back across his scalp – not a single hair out of place. His gruff features hidden behind a thick mustache and a bushy set of eyebrows were pulled into an intense scowl. So intense, that if Emma didn't know him well the intensity emanating from his face would have caused her to shrink back in fear.

"Why are you so late? Your dinner is cold." His dark eyes flashed.

Emma attempted to remind him of her Robotics Club meeting, but before she could get a word out he raised his hand, motioning for her to be silent.

"I don't want to hear your excuses. You're late, that's all that matters." Slamming his elbow down on the table and pointing a thick pointer finger in her direction, he barked, "You will eat your dinner cold, go upstairs for the night, do your homework, and go to sleep. Do NOT bother Mrs. Elms, no matter how much she may call for you. I will take care of her, she is not your concern." Slowly easing himself down into the dining room chair just behind him, his eyes never left Emma's face as he maintained his intense demeanor, "I don't want to see you work her up telling her your stories of your pieces of scrap metal machines and fill her head with nonsense. You will let her rest and do as you're told. DO YOU HEAR ME?"

The words boomed out of Mr. Elms like a clap of thunder vibrating inside of Emma's head, making the headache that had been developing since leaving Pete's house worse. When the pain caused Emma's reaction to be delayed, Mr. Elms began to become unhinged.

Anger rising, Mr. Elms forcefully pushed his chair back, causing it to slam into the wall and stomped over to Emma. Towering over her, he bent down to Emma's level, yanking her within an inch of his face by the front of her shirt, and yelled "Damn you selfish child, you will answer me when I talk to you. I said, DO YOU HEAR ME."

Eyes widening in shock and fear, it took all of Emma's will-power to remain calm and not show any signs of her inner turmoil. She looked up at him and replied with a surprisingly calm, "Yes sir."

At her response, he let go of his painful grasp on her shirt and shoved her towards her seat at the dinner table. "Good, now eat and get out of my sight."

After a painstakingly long dinner of choking down cold food, Emma quickly washed her plate and escaped to her room. Thankfully Mr. Elms didn't berate her for accidentally slamming her door a little too loud.

Taking a shaky breath to calm her nerves, Emma slid down her door and took in the peaceful silence of her room.

Painted a rich, deep purple that contained nothing but the bare essentials, Emma's room was very neat and organized with not a single item out of place. Her small twin sized bed was in the far right corner of the room, made nice and crisp—military style—with her favorite flannel blanket folded at the end. To the right of her bed was a small, oak-wood dresser filled to the brim with perfectly folded undergarments and clothes. Decorating the top of the dresser were trinkets and memoirs collected over the years. She wasn't allowed to keep much from the different places she'd lived but always made sure to keep at least one thing to remember each family by. Despite how some of the homes had treated her, she was still grateful to them for taking her in when they didn't have to and wanted to preserve their memory.

Crammed in the far left corner of the tiny room was her favorite place in the world: her work desk. Strewn about were countless stacks of hand-drawn blueprints for robot prototypes, covering every square inch of the desk and pinned all across that corner of the wall. A hand-built extension to her desk took up the rest of the left wall, containing her soldering tools and random electronic devices collected over time to take apart and use as parts.

Setting her backpack down next to her desk, Emma plopped down into her simple metal desk chair and began to clear some desk-space to take a better look at her new and improved laptop.

Time seemed to stand still as Emma lost herself in her work. Finishing her homework in record time, she decided she could afford to delve into the code Pete had constructed for her computer. The rhythmic clicking of her nails against the computer keyboard soothed her as she meticulously went through the programs and code character-by-character.

A light knock on her bedroom door stirred her from her work. It could only be one person. "Coming Mrs. Elms" Emma responded with a nervous catch in her voice. Mr. Elms' warning from dinner came to the forefront of her mind and the ball of anxiety returned to her stomach.

Emma quickly stumbled out of her chair to answer the door, knowing Mrs. Elms didn't have the strength to stand for long and she didn't want to keep her waiting.

"Mrs. Elms" Emma responded on edge, peering down the hallway. "It's late, you should be in bed. Are you feeling ok?" she extended her arm for Mrs. Elms to grasp when she could see her start to lean heavily on the door-frame.

Mrs. Elms was a tall and willowy woman, her form covered in a long, thin nightgown that touched the ground, her matching blue slippers peaked from underneath the satin blue material. Her long, blonde hair that flowed down over the front of her shoulder was tied in a loose braid, and her gentle baby blue eyes radiated love and warmth as they came to rest on Emma. She smiled down at Emma, showing a hint of smile lines that told she lived a life full of many smiles.

"Nonsense" she waved Emma's concern away, attempting to hide her fatigue.

"I'm fine! And please, call me Alese." She teasingly chided. "I wanted to catch you before you went to sleep for the night and congratulate you on finishing school!" excitement seeping into her tired voice.

Face softening, Emma began to gently guide her back to her room, "Thank you Mrs.- Alese, but you really shouldn't stress yourself over me." She could tell the trip down the hall had tired her, and the last thing Emma wanted was for Mrs. Elms to lose her strength, or worse, for Mr. Elms to come up the stairs and catch them together.

Noticing the worry on the girl's face, Mrs. Elms patted Emma's arm she had been leaning on, bringing her to a halt.

"Emma" she softly cooed. "What's wrong? You look frightened."

A confused look knitted its way across her brow at the small girl's shaky sigh, then it dawned on her.

"Did Richard say something to you?"

Hesitating only a moment, Emma meekly replied, "Yes."

The broken tone in Emma's voice was enough to keep Mrs. Elms from inquiring further.

Eyes downcast, Emma continued to let Mrs. Elms lean on her as they slowly made their way down the hall to the master bedroom. She tried to not let Mrs. Elms feel her shake as she thought about how angry and almost hateful Mr. Elms had been at the thought of her spending time with Mrs. Elms'. She didn't understand.

"Don't you worry yourself about Richard, I will handle him." Mrs. Elms assured with a breathy voice.

"He has become a bit of a grump in his old age," she mused with a light chuckle as they entered her room. "My predicament has been taxing on him. He's not one to show weakness and feels being anything other than grumpy is being weak."

As Emma helped her climb back into her bed she gave a pained sigh that caused Emma to instinctively cringe. She hated seeing Mrs. Elms this way. For a year now she's watched Alese rapidly decline. After countless doctor visits, painful treatments, and a misdiagnosis that has caused the sickness to take a turn for the worse, there was nothing left to do except make her as comfortable as possible as her time ran out before their very eyes. She was the only family Emma had left, and now she was about to lose her too.

With tears beginning to blur her eyes, Emma turned to leave when Mrs. Elms' voice stopped her. "Emma, do stay awhile. I need to talk to you."

Trepidation shot through her system as what felt like ice began to fill her veins. Emma didn't know how many more talks she could handle today, she was emotionally drained.

Mrs. Elms patted the space beside her with a beckoning smile Emma could never deny, "Come, make yourself comfortable and sit with me." Tiredly, Emma did as she was told.

"So tell me, how is this going to work with school? When is the ceremony? I want to hear all about it."

"Well," Emma hesitantly began, "I'm finishing a semester earlier than I was expecting to. So really, I guess today was my last official day of high school since winter break starts tomorrow."

"Oh my, that's wonderful!" Mrs. Elms' exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you sweetheart!"

A warm sense of pride filled Emma at Mrs. Elms' genuine joy. "Thanks, Mrs. Elms, I-"

"What's going on here?" A gruff and unhappy voice cut in, causing Emma to almost jump out of her skin and fly off of the bed faster than she thought possible.

"Richard, please.." Mrs. Elms tried to calm the storm she could see brewing before her in her husband.

"I thought I told you to leave Mrs. Elms be." Mr. Elms barked, completely ignoring his wife's vie for his attention as he crossed his thick arms over his broad chest, looking about ready to explode.

"Richard." Mrs. Elms' pleaded to get his attention.

"Not now Alese, don't defend her." He snapped his attention to his wife and eased his tense stance a bit, "she shouldn't be bothering you and she knows that you need to rest." He started walking towards Emma to corral her out the door.

"Richard, enough. I asked her to come in here." Mrs. Elms stated in surprising indignation, stopping him in his tracks and causing both Mr. Elms and Emma to look at her in surprise.

"Emma, I want you to stay." She calmly requested, not breaking eye contact with Mr. Elms. "And you," she continued, eyes filling with disappointment, "stop this. Stop taking your anger and frustration out on this innocent girl who has been through enough." Once Emma had returned to her spot on the bed, Mrs. Elms reached for her hand and grasped it as she continued.

Tears silently spilled down her face, "I don't know how much time I have left. And the time I do have I want to spend surrounded by the people I love, and that includes this girl." She squeezed Emma's hand tighter. "Emma accomplished a great feat today. I at least deserve to hear about it before I go, don't I Richard?"

"Alese..." Mr. Elms said in a broken voice, "All I'm trying-"

"I don't have the energy to keep fighting with you on this. Please, just give us a moment and let us talk." Mrs. Elms huffed.

Frozen in what could only be hurt at Mrs. Elms' rare display of upset, Mr. Elms' face was unreadable as he turned on his heel and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

With an exasperated sigh, Mrs. Elms let go of her grip on Emma's hand, giving it a reassuring pat as she sank back into her pillows.

"Do forgive him, dear. He means well, he just isn't the best with his emotions. You know how boys can be right?" She peeked at Emma through half-closed eyes, a glimmer of humor there.

"Now before I drift off to sleep again there is something I need to show you." Sitting up straighter, Mrs. Elms leaned over and dug around in her bedside table drawer before presenting a box to Emma.

"This," she stated, opening the box for her, "Is a family heirloom of mine, I want you to have it." She placed the small golden-velvet jewelry box with shaky fingers into Emma's awaiting hand. Emma gasped, inside the box rested a gorgeous pink diamond necklace.

Emma fingered the necklace appreciatively, "This is for me?" looking up at Mrs. Elms with wide eyes.

Measuring the girl's reaction with a whimsical smile, Mrs. Elms took the necklace out of its box and handed it to Emma for closer inspection.

The centerpiece was a flawless pink diamond that was the size of her entire hand, surrounded by what appeared to be a dozen smaller white, yellow, and blue diamonds. It glistened through its endless faucets as it dangled loosely on a solid silver chain. What caught Emma's attention the most about it was that the centerpiece diamond hung upside down, in a triangle shape. She loved it.

"It's beautiful," Emma said wistfully as she held the necklace. "I can't accept something like this, it's too much." she murmured as she handed the necklace back to Mrs. Elms.

"I insist," she said as she motioned for Emma to lean towards her, and clasped it around her neck. "I want you to have it. I don't have any children of my own so I have no one else to pass this on to." Emma turned to look at her sadly, the unspoken message between them acknowledged.

Breaking the moment of tension Mrs. Elms nodded towards her vanity. "Go take a look in the mirror and tell me what you think."

Tentatively walking towards Mrs. Elms' vanity, she quietly gasped at the image staring back at her, speechless. Emma maintained her outward composure as a plethora of thoughts whirred inside her mind. The most prominent one being how the necklace fit her small frame perfectly, almost as if this necklace was made for her.

"I'm glad you like it." Mrs. Elms beamed as her eyes filled with tears.

Reaching over to put the necklace back in its case as Emma returned, Mrs. Elms' continued. "I was planning on giving this to you for your 18th birthday, but it seems time is moving along faster than I expected. So this will have to do as a graduation present instead."

Emma gave her a perplexed look, "What do you mean my 18th birthday? Mr. Elms put in the one month notice for me to leave last week."

Now it was Mrs. Elms' turn to give Emma a perplexed look. "I never agreed to... Oh, Richard." Placing her fingertips on her forehead and giving a sigh of frustration, she looked over at the small girl with guilt written all over her face.

"That man… The pain you must have felt." She reached over to give Emma a hug, a catch in her voice. "I'm so sorry sweetheart for the hurt I've caused you, but trust me when I say you're not leaving. Not if I have anything to say about it. Which I do." She hugged Emma tighter before releasing her, tucking a single curl of Emma's hair behind her ear that always managed to hang right in the middle of her right eye.

Emma placed her hand over Mrs. Elms', eyes brimming with happy tears. No one had ever been more of a mother to her. "It's not your fault. It's ok."

Growing weary, Mrs. Elms settled back down against her pillows. Surprised to feel Emma cuddle up next to her after a moment.

A long stretch of silence passed between them, both content to simply be with one another before the silence was broken by Mrs. Elms' voice, thick with emotion.

"I still remember the first time I saw you. You were five years old and so small, I thought you were still a toddler." Staring up at the ceiling, Mrs. Elms' smiled as she began to comb her fingers through Emma's hair. A rhythmic motion that soothed both woman and child.

"You were so quiet and shy, hiding behind the police officer who had found you that day by the pier. Which is not unusual for kids first entering the center, but you were different. You didn't speak at all, no matter how much the counselors and I tried to coax it out of you. You spelled out what you wanted to say with legos. Always building, even from the start." She lightly chuckled.

Emma peered up at her when she felt her chuckles turn into coughing and shivering, and held her close to keep her warm.

Trying her best to control her shivering, Mrs. Elms' continued. "As the years went by and your case continued to pop up on my desk as you moved homes, I was drawn to you. I couldn't let you go. Not anymore, I knew that I was meant to be your mother." Leaning down to kiss Emma's forehead, Mrs. Elms' eyes' shone with something she was far from feeling as she recalled this memory, a spark of life and hope.

"At the time I was merely a secretary for the foster care center in this district. I wasn't a licensed foster parent in the system so I couldn't have you stay with me, not yet. While I worked on meeting the requirements to foster and getting Richard to agree, I had to let you go to whatever home you were assigned to."

Holding her close as she continued to weakly stroke her hair, Emma felt tears drip onto her face. "It was so hard to watch you go, not knowing where you were going or who you would be staying with. By law, I had to not invade the privacy of the foster families and look into them, but I knew we had some bad families in the system, and I prayed every night that you would be spared from being placed with one of them." Emma' buried her face into the blue satin of Mrs. Elms' nightgown, trying to hide tears of her own at the overwhelming feeling of love and appreciation for the woman next to her.

She had been fortunate enough to not have been placed with one of those homes, but she had friends who had been and had seen how it had changed them. She shivered at the memory and gave a silent thanks to any God willing to listen for this woman who had looked out for her all of her life, and begged for her to be spared from the end coming from her. She wasn't ready to lose her yet.

"10 years passed, and as Richard and I failed to have children of our own, I finally convinced him to give fostering a try. He had always wanted to be a father, but sadly I became ill before I could provide children to this family."

Gently tipping Emma's chin up to meet her gaze, Mrs. Elms' voice broke, "Please understand. It's not that Richard doesn't want you," Mrs. Elms' searched her eyes, silently pleading with Emma to understand, "he is afraid."

"He is afraid to love again. Watching me suffer, I know him. It has affected him more deeply than he would want anyone to know. He is afraid to watch someone else he loves get ripped away-" she gasped as a sudden stab of pain overtook her. Emma tried to prop herself up to help but Mrs. Elms' held her close, not allowing her to move. "-As I am...".

Trying desperately to silence her sobs as she held Mrs. Elms until the spasm of pain ceased when she finally felt Mrs. Elms relax it was several long minutes until Emma dared to move again, hoping she had fallen asleep and could rest. Carefully disentangling herself from her position of being nuzzled into Mrs. Elms' side, she was able to get a good look at Mrs. Elms at long last.

Even over the course of this single conversation, she had grown so much more pale, like she was slipping away right before Emma's very eyes.

Hovering her shaking hand over Mrs. Elms' still, pale form to check her temperature and pulse, Mrs. Elms' eyes slowly slid open right as Emma made contact with her skin at the base of her neck.

"Emma," Mrs. Elms whispered, startling Emma and grabbing her attention. When their eyes met, Emma noticed Mrs. Elms no longer was able to focus her gaze on her. Almost as if she was looking at something far off into the horizon that was calling to her. She covered Emma's hand on her neck with her own, her grasp on Emma's hand light as a feather.

"Your home is with me for as long as you need it," she reassured, motioning for Emma to come closer and kissed Emma's forehead. "I love you," she murmured in a barely audible breath as she drifted off to sleep.

Mrs. Elms was asleep too quickly for her to catch the look of astonishment on Emma's face. That had been the first time anyone had ever said "I love you" to her, and truly meant it. Allowing her tears to spill over at long last that she had been holding back on and off all day, she carefully took hold of the golden-velvet box containing her newfound treasure and went to sleep herself. Comforted by the warmth of Mrs. Elms' body resting next to her, and by the loving warmth of her words.

Emma was not able to bask in her new-found warmth for long. A feeling of chilling cold that was a nightmare come true woke Emma later that same night. Mrs. Elms was dead.


	4. On the Road Again

Running, always running, that is what Emma did best. _I was a fool to think I could have a permanent home and get a "happily ever after." _Ugly thoughts that had plagued her the entirety of her life came roaring back to the forefront of her mind. _You're not wanted Emma, face that fact and move on. _Old wounds tore at her heart and pounded down her spirit in sync with the pounding of her backpack against her shoulders. _Your family is dead, they never returned to the pier and they didn't take you with them that day because they didn't want you. You're on your own now, alone. Run. _______

_____ _

Legs pumping beneath her faster than her burning lungs could gulp down air to fuel her marathon, Emma didn't know where she was going but right now she couldn't afford to care. The only fact able to sear itself into her mind was that she had to run. Run from the painful thoughts stabbing at her mind that threatened to knock the wind out of her. Run from the image that would forever be burned into her mind for the rest of her days: the only person she loved, cold, still, and dead.

_____ _

Tears blurred her vision and began to stab her cheeks like pinpricks in the frosty, winter wind as she continued to blindly run down the streets of her neighborhood. Her mind couldn't keep up with what her body was doing. The shock was keeping her numb as Emma hoped this was all just a terrible nightmare and she was still huddled next to Mrs. Elms, safe, warm, and with her family.

_____ _

She knew better than to open up and allow herself to have hope. This was very real. Hope was an illusion, even with Mrs. Elms.

_____ _

Mrs. Elms… who was cold and dead and had glazed-over marbles for eyes. Mrs. Elms, who had promised her the world and then in the same night ripped it all away. Mrs. Elms, who was the only person she had, and now she was gone. Forever.

_____ _

When the bus stop at the entrance to her neighborhood finally came into view Emma realized in alarm that the final bus for the night was about to drive off. "Wait!" she cried, as she waved her arms to get the driver's attention. "Don't leave yet! Wait for me!" _Please, _she begged internally, her face scrunching up in sheer despair at the thought of being left again, she couldn't bear it. Pounding on the icy metal that made up the bus' side, she ran alongside the vehicle as panic spurred her forward. Nearly avoiding getting her foot ran over, relief washed over her as she felt the bus stop and saw its front doors whoosh open.__

_______ _ _ _

Gasping for breath at the entrance, she managed to thank the driver as she hauled herself onto the bus and paid the bus fare to the money container hanging off of the railing. Plopping herself in the first bench available, Emma let her backpack slink itself off of her shoulders and huddled into her winter jacket. Exhausted, she gingerly pulled her knees up to her chest and curled into a ball, numbly watching her old life skitter by as the bus took off.

_______ _ _ _

_______ _ _ _

The hum of the bus as it moseyed along the road was able to settle her bubble of panic and, one by one, Emma was able to unclench each of her tense muscles. Her hamstrings were on fire from her run down several long blocks to the bus stop and her headache was coming back with a vengeance. Shivering uncontrollably, she managed to wipe what was left of the trail of frosted tears away and focus.

_______ _ _ _

_Now, Emma, _she chided herself. _We need a gameplan, we spent the last of our money on this bus fare, which is going… where, exactly? _She looked around for any sort of sign that could indicate where she was headed and found nothing of use. _Ok, that plan didn't work. Is there anyone on this bus that could tell me where we're going? _Doing a quick scan she realized no one else was aboard. _And the driver almost left me, with no one aboard and no reason to leave so hastily, really? _Frowning to herself, Emma marched right up to the driver's seat and, when she went to tap the driver on the shoulder, saw there was nothing.________

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Angling her line of sight down a notch she realized a small, strange boy barely tall enough to see over the steering wheel was driving the bus. He wore a white shirt with a periwinkle sweater tied around his neck, and... red footy pajama pants? That wasn't even the strangest part, his head looked like a giant onion. The only thing solidifying for Emma that he didn't have a literal onion for a head was a single tuft of blonde hair sticking out at the top.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Excuse me, who are you?" Emma's frown deepened in utter disbelief as shock, then annoyance, then concern crossed over her features. "How are you driving this bus? Are you even old enough to drive?" Emma slightly squinted her eyes in accusation as she pointed this fact out, waiting for him to deny what she knew was true.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

The boy didn't acknowledge her presence as he continued to drive, footy pajama feet pushing pedals he could only reach by using pedal extensions.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Ok, whatever. None of my business, I get it, but can you at least tell me where we're going?" She huffed in utter exasperation.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Silence was all that met her questions, he didn't even look at her.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Now Emma was starting to get mad.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Look. I don't have time for this onion boy, you have no idea what I've been through today! I found out I'm never going to school and seeing my friends again." She started to count off on her fingers as she continued her list, "broke my best friend's heart, fought with my foster-dad, my foster-mom died in my arms, and I ran all the way through my ENTIRE neighborhood, in deep snow I might add, to this bus stop to get on this bus. Wherever you're taking me is my last hope! So, I need to know where that is so I can make a plan of what I'm doing with my life. So!" She barked, "I need you to tell me where that is. Right. Now." Somewhere during her speech, Emma realized she pointed her index finger at him and clenched her jaw, and was mortified at how much like Mr. Elms she looked like at the moment.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Tension filled the air as the boy completely ignored her, like she wasn't there at all.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Emma sighed in exasperation at herself and at this boy as she stomped back to her seat, realizing it was hopeless and he wasn't going to say a word. "Thanks for nothing, hope you know what you're doing and we don't crash or something!" She yelled back to the boy.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Giving him one final dirty look, she combed her fingers through her curls in order to calm herself down, she still needed to focus. _Ok. So progress was made. Sort of. _Breath in through nose, out through mouth. Calm. _I found out I'm on a bus that is being driven by some random onion child who may or may not even know I'm here. According to what I saw out of the front window there is nothing but open road for at least the next few miles. Which means I have time here in the warmth of this bus, that's good. Right? _As she attempted to get more comfortable in the hard plastic of the bench, her arm brushed against her backpack.____

_____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_Now is as good a time as ever to take inventory of what I was able to grab I suppose, _she pondered to herself.__

_______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Taking the contents out of her bag one by one, she counted that she had all of her knick-knacks, her laptop, her phone, and her tablet (all fully charged, thank you OCD regarding full batteries!), her chargers, a flashlight, batteries, a few of her winter clothes, her tools, whatever dry food she was able to quickly grab out of the pantry, a single flask of water, and the golden pouching holding Mrs. Elms precious gift. 

_______________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_Ok, I can work with this! At least I have the basics. Now, I just need to find a way to get some money and I can do this. Hopefully wherever this dude is taking me will be near a place I can crash, then I can look for somewhere to get a quick job. ___

_________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Feeling tons better than she did before, Emma neatly returned her items back into her bag. Smiling to herself, she decided she could reward her good work of winning this round against her anxiety and listen to a few songs. _I hope this bus has an outlet somewhere… _When an outlet was found Emma settled down for some much-needed sleep. Propping her bag up as a pillow and using her coat as a blanket, she quickly drifted off to sleep listening to "Comet" on repeat by Mr. Universe.__

_________________  
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The loud hiss of the bus shifting to a sudden halt jolted Emma from her sleep, causing her to rip her earbuds out of her ears and almost break her phone dropping it on the floor. "Ouch", she whined as she rubbed her ears and put her things back in her bag.

___________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Looking out of the window she realized they were still in the middle of nowhere. "Hey onion boy, what's the big idea! I don't see a town or anything around here, not even a bus stop. Why are we stopped?"

___________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

When she went to look towards the driver's seat for answers she almost jumped out of her skin. Onion boy was standing right there at the end of her bench, pointing towards the open bus entrance door with an expressionless look on his face.

___________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"What. Is there something in the middle of the road?"

___________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He continued to point.

___________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Is there something wrong with the bus? Are we out of gas?"

___________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He merely continued to stare and didn't move a muscle.

___________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Oh nevermind, move." Emma huffed as she shoved him out of the way and went towards the open door.

___________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The sun was just beginning to rise as Emma emerged from the stagnant bus. Shielding her eyes from the first rays of the day, Emma took in her surroundings clearly for the first time since entering the bus. She really was in the middle of nowhere.

___________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As far as the eye could see there was nothing but dry, sandy, nothing. She was in the middle of a desert. _Where exactly did this man-child, kid, thing, take me? _She worried.__

_____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Pushing that thought to the back of her mind, she needed to figure out what made him stop the bus here. _First things first, check the tires. _Doing a quick inspection of each tire she saw no issues with any of them, none were losing air, and there was also nothing obstructing the road.__

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Ok, we seem to be good. Hey, did you check the gas meter?" Walking back around to the side of the bus she emerged from, Emma noticed onion boy was standing by the side of the road holding her bag.

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Hey!" She exclaimed, "give me that," she swiped her bag from him hoping he didn't steal anything out of it. She didn't trust him a bit.

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"What are you doing touching my things! I didn't tell you to go fetch my bag." He gave her a swift wave and began walking back onto the bus as she did a quick check that all of her things were where she left them.

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Then it dawned on her.

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Wait… you're not leaving me here are you?" She asked incredulously.

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

When he continued to head back to the bus she began to panic, unbidden tears filling her eyes. "Wait.. please! You can't just leave me here! You never told me where I am! There is nothing for miles! Can I at least have a map or something? Is there another bus stopping here any time soon?" The questions came tumbling out of her as she stumbled after him.

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

For the first time in the hours they've known each other, he acknowledged her. He turned to look at her, halting on the first step of the stairs leading back onto the bus, sighed, and walked around to the back of the bus.

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Emma didn't notice the bike onion boy produced from the back of the bus as she attempted to stop her tears and process what had almost happened. Walking it over to her, he waited for her to collect herself and take hold of the handlebars. When she did he quickly patted her arm, climbed onto the bus, and drove away.

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Mouth agape in shock and speechlessness, Emma just stared after him for several long minutes.

_______________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Jerk!" she eventually shouted towards the retreating form of the bus. Face scrunched in anger, she couldn't believe the predicament she was in. _Good job Emma, way to go. Now, what are you going to do? You're an idiot for doing what that munchkin directed you to do and getting off of that bus. ___

_________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kicking up a cloud of dust around her in anger, she allowed the dust to settle (metaphorically and literally) before deciding on what to do next. _Ok, so now here we are once again. In a situation life throws us in out of nowhere, alone, and forced to think of a way to survive it and regain some semblance of normality. You should be used to this by now Emma, why are you surprised? You'll get through this, you're a survivor and have gotten through much worse, just think your way through it. _Placing her hands on her hips and giving a "hmph" to herself in agreeance, Emma inspected her new bike.__

___________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

It was sturdy and seemed to be fully functional, and happened to be just her size.

___________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Odd.

___________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

It was a pretty purple with silver sparkles, possessed a holder for a drink container down between the handlebars, and even had a little wire basket on the back that, thank goodness, her bag would fit into.

___________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

While repacking her bag once more for the bike trip, Emma came across the golden pouch containing Mrs. Elm's necklace. Fingering the velvet of the pouch, Emma decided the necklace was too valuable to leave in her bag for the trip in case it was to get smashed by heavier items, and put it on. Tucking it safely underneath her clothes, once her things were secured properly to the bike Emma set off after the now long-gone bus.

_________________________**************************************************************************************************************************************************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The hours ticked by at an agonizing pace as the sun slowly rose higher and grew hotter. Sweat trickled down Emma's back and coated every inch of her exposed skin as she continued to pump the pedals beneath her under the merciless heat of the sun. _Well, the good news is at least I'm able to keep warm. It doesn't even feel like winter here, even though it's in the middle of December. _Emma mused to herself.__

_____________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As the wind blew some of the sweat off of her brow, Emma was left with nothing to do but think. _Geez, what am I going to do when I run out of water? At this rate, there is no form of shade or any sign of anything other than desert coming up any time soon. _The sound of water sloshing in her flask beneath her was a slight comfort, at least she wouldn't have to deal with this problem any time soon. _As long as I keep regulating my water intake to two sips per drink, and only when my throat is completely dry, I think I can last at least the rest of today. _____

________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As a lone cactus came into view, a lightbulb went off in Emma's head. _That's it! Aren't cacti fruits chock-full of water? How else could they survive in the constant heat and lack of water? _Parking her bike next to the cactus, Emma went to work removing the budding fruits, utilizing her tools and patience. Not wanting to spend too much energy fighting the cactus while trying to avoid getting stabbed by needles, she only removed as many fruits as needed to fully quench her thirst and fill up her flask. _Thank you actually educational reality T.V. and Discovery Documentaries! _Emma sang to herself as she rode off with renewed hope.____

___________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As night approached so did the cold, and so did a forest. Thankful for the shade and protection from the elements, Emma parked her bike up against the sturdiest tree she could find and settled in to make camp for the night. Never having been more thankful that she took the time to learn some survival skills in Girl Scouts growing up, Emma managed to start a fire for herself and ate some beef jerky and a few gulps of cactus fruit water. Agilely climbing up her tree of choice to sleep for the night, Emma again thanked her younger self for taking the time to take a gymnastics class and try her hand at parkour which were turning out to be invaluable skills in this situation.

___________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_I'm beginning to feel like Katniss Everdeen, _she smirked at her comparison to her favorite story character, _I hope I survive my version of 'The Hunger Games', and with style, like she did. _____

____________________________________  
**************************************************************************************************************************************************_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

A week passed as Emma continued to follow the road through the forest, that is, until the road the bus took became overgrown by the forest foliage and essentially ended.

______________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Clothes torn and dirty, food resources long since depleted, Emma didn't have the inner strength to handle such a blow to her emotions, she couldn't afford to lose direction and hope, not now.

______________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sinking to her knees and letting her bike fall over in a loud tumble, Emma began to wail. "NO-" The rest of her cry was cut off by a blubber of sobs and tears, liquid she realized too late she couldn't afford to be expelling, not when she didn't know when her next source of drinkable water would come. "No this can't be it! This can't be the end of the road!" She began to tear at her hair as her words ran together in impending hysteria, "How-did-the-bus-go-this-way! It-had-to-of-come-through-here! I-would-have-noticed-tracks-if-it-went-off-road!" Hysterical laughter came bubbling out of her as she began to rock back and forth on her haunches, staring at the foliage and willing it to reveal its secrets for how a bus could pass through its presence.

______________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As silence resumed through the forest when Emma's episode ceased, a notification sound pinged from Emma's phone. Whipping her head towards her bag still tethered to the bike, Emma tore through the forest that lay between her and that sound from heaven and unlocked her phone's home screen. She had a single bar of signal.

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Crying, now out of joy and hope instead of despair, Emma walked around with her phone towards the heavens as her new compass. _A bar means a signal, a signal means WiFi in range, WiFi means civilization, civilization means people, people means HELP! ___

________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Walking her bike beside her, Emma used her phone as her guide for the next couple of hours until she was able to track the source of her signal bars. A sign that read: "Welcome to Beach City" greeted her once she emerged from the forest. She had reached the end of the road.

________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	5. To Beach City and Beyond

Emma slowly walked her bike up and down several streets to scout out her new-found piece of civilization. One thing she noticed every street had in common: No people. Beach City was a ghost town.

 _Where is everyone?_ Emma's stomach growled painfully as she continued to stumble down the small, residential neighborhood.  _Please! There has to be someone here! I need help!_ Her vision began to blur as the world around her dipped and twisted in impossible ways.

"Hello?! Anybody here?" Emma rasped in a final attempt to ward off the fatigue as she tripped and fell over her bike pedal. Scraping her hands and knees on the asphalt of the road, Emma's lip began to quiver as she mentally broke.

Dragging herself to the nearest tree by the sidewalk, Emma propped her bike up against the trunk and unceremoniously sprawled on the ground.

 _Am going to die here?_ Emma's limbs felt full of lead as she felt every cut, bruise, blooded-over scab, and sore spot from having lived out in the forest. Her lips were covered in blisters from thirst and she had a searing headache behind her eyes from hunger. The sun blinded her as she slowly closed her eyes, giving into her ailments and letting fatigue lull her into darkness.

 _I guess I'm ready to die._ Sinking into the grass beneath her, she felt a peace come over here that she hadn't felt in years. _There was a lot more I wanted to do with my life, but at least I'll get to see my family again…_

As Emma felt her consciousness slipping away, her last thoughts drifted to Mrs. Elms.

 _I'm sorry, I didn't make it._ _I'll see you soon._  Her eyes began to water behind her closed lids as tears streaked down dirty cheeks.

Forcing her left arm to move so her hand clasped onto the necklace around her neck, everything around her went black.

* * *

Bleary eyes slowly cracked open to what she hoped would be Mrs. Elm's smiling face in heaven, only to be filled with the interior of a van as Emma's consciousness came seeping back. A gentle shake to the arm and a shifting of weight beside her had Emma instantly spring upright.

"Easy there kiddo." A balding man who looked to be in his forties gently said. He had the strangest sunburn lines she'd ever seen as he held up his hands in a defensive manner when she flinched away from him. "I'm not going to hurt you. Are you alright?"

Gasping for air as she huddled into the farthest corner of the van available to her. Emma realized what had happened and, shockingly, that she was still alive.

"No," she frowned. "I'm not alright, do I look alright to you?!" She began to shriek as her voice cracked through her chapped lips and parched throat. "I've been stranded and alone for over a week, following a bus that abandoned me in the middle of the desert! I'm starving, filthy, and have nowhere to go-" her voice broke, thick with loss and fear.

"Alright, alright take it easy. Here." The man said softly, handing her a bottle of water Emma proceeded to snatch and drink in loud, quick gulps.

"There you go." Giving her a beat to hydrate, he hesitantly tried talking to her again. "So hey... what is your name? Mine is Greg."

"Mine is Emma." She gasped out as soon as the bottle was empty.

Still, in her defensive position against the van wall, Emma warred with herself whether or not to trust this "Greg."

Curiosity won, as usual.

Analytics buzzing through her mind, it was clear she had to get her bearings and figure out what was going on with this town and why it was so empty if she hoped to survive. And her current best bet to gaining that information was Greg.

Slowly easing herself out of her defensive position, she reciprocated his hesitant tone. "So Greg, where is everyone in this town? When I came down here from the forest I couldn't find anyone."

"Oh, that's because we were evacuated," replied Greg as he rummaged through a plastic bag.

"Evacuated?" Inquired Emma, donning a perplexed and slightly suspicious look. "Why? I didn't see anything going on that would be evacuation-worthy."

"You wouldn't, the threat came and left very quickly." He glanced up at her mid-rummaging and gave her a hard look, silently answering any further questions she may ask. Whoever the threat was Emma could tell there was bad blood between them and Greg.

"Here, I got you some new clothes. You look pretty small, so I figured a small would fit you." Greg handed her a small thrift store bag containing a cyan blue sleeveless summer dress, a pair of cyan blue tights covered in little yellow star print, and some yellow flip-flops. "I hope you like them. I looked through your bag and noticed you only brought winter clothes, it doesn't get cold here much so I thought you could use these."

"Thank you," Emma murmured, not liking that her things were touched and still not trusting Greg. Fighting with herself to not seem on edge, Emma forced herself to show gratitude for the clothes. "They're great. Is there anywhere I can clean off first before putting them on?"

"Oh sure, you can use the shower in the back of my business. I rigged one of the bathrooms to be a shower. I'll go unlock the building for you."

Emma's eyes never left Greg as she watched him leave the van and slowly enter the "It's a Wash" building across the parking lot.

Stuffing her new items into her bag, Emma took in the claustrophobic van Greg appeared to live out of. It was quite decorated for a van, lining the wall to her right from her perch on the mattress were several guitars and a ukulele, a makeshift clothes rack that hug a few shirts and pairs of pants, a LOT of Mr. Universe memorabilia, some picture frames holding pictures of a younger-looking Greg with a giant pink woman, and a single picture of a small infant boy with dark curly hair.

"You look a lot like him, you know," came a soft voice from behind her.

Startled, Emma turned to see a misty-eyed Greg offering shampoo and a clean towel. "The shower is ready."

"Is this your son?" Emma hesitantly asked, reaching to touch the glass that held the image of the happy little boy.

"Yes, he would be about your age now." Came Greg's harsh reply as he snatched the frame before her fingertips could make contact with the glass.

Reading between the lines, Emma's voice filled with empathy. "What happened to him?"

"He died," Greg said stiffly, the hardness returning once more to his eyes. "Long ago when Steven was just an infant, he was killed."

Emma shrank back from him, afraid if made upset Greg might cast her out for asking too many questions. However, again, curiosity got the better of her. "Killed? Who would kill a little baby?" Emma tentatively asked.

"No one you need to worry about." The joyless look Greg gave her signified he would not be questioned further on the subject.

"You better get in there before all of the hot water is used up." He handed her the towel and shampoo, and when Emma stepped out he quickly closed the van door behind himself.

Once Emma was clean and in her new clothes she made her way back to the van and noticed Greg was playing 'Comet' on one of his guitars.

"Hey! You like that song too huh?" Emma bounded over to him, drawn to the music. "I've followed Mr. Universe and listened to his music for years now. Is this one your favorite too?"

An odd mixture of disbelief and amazement painted itself across Greg's features. "Yes, this is one of my favorite songs. I play it often to myself when I miss the old days." Positioning himself on the edge of his van's bumper to face Emma better, he gave her an awkward smile. She could tell he wasn't used to smiling.

"Yeah, I noticed you have a lot of Mr. Universe's merchandise. I figured you were a fan, that's pretty cool!" Emma beamed and went to sit beside him. "Could you play it again?" she eagerly asked.

The next few hours passed by in a fit of giggles and silly songs as Greg played and Emma sang along to any song they could think. Both feeling much better by the time Emma was out of breath from singing and her stomach grumbled.

"When was the last time you ate?" Greg looked over at her, concerned.

Resting her chin into the crook of her thumb and forefinger, Emma found she couldn't remember, which was not good. "You know, I honestly don't know. I'm going to say around three days ago? I've been eating leaves and bark in the forest."

Looking at Emma in dismay, it took him a minute to formulate a reply. Recovering, he slapped his knee and went to help her down from the van. "Hoo boy! Well, I say we both go get some pizza. You need some real food."

Hunger coming back with a vengeance at the mention of food, she eagerly followed behind him.

Emma quickly learned that the "Everything" Pizza from Fish Stew Pizza was coined that for a reason. The pizza had literally  **everything**  on it, from several types of cheese, anchovies, spinach, pepperoni, shrimp, to a whole red snapper fish! It was delicious and definitely hit the spot.

Greg sat back with a charmed look on his face as he watched Emma practically inhale the large pizza. "Feeling better?" he chuckled.

"It's really good, I've never had anything like it," she garbled through chipmunk cheeks. Making sure to have a whole slice in one hand as she gobbled down the slice in the other.

While it was charming to watch Emma eat, it hurt Greg's heart to see a child have gone through so much to need to eat this way. He could tell she didn't trust him, which was more than understandable, but he had to know what caused her to be in this condition. He needed to know what she was running from so he could help her. She reminded him so much of Steven… he couldn't just leave her like this by herself.

"Emma," he strained to get her attention off of her feast, "I need you to tell me what you are running away from. Is there someone I can call to come and get you?" At this Emma froze mid-bite and swallowed loudly.

Looking dejected, she refused to make eye contact as she relented, "No, I have no one you can call. My parents are dead." She peeked at him to see his eyes soften, and sighed, she always hated seeing the inevitable look of pity people gave her when she told this story. "The folks I was staying with were a foster family, and after the missus died my foster dad was going to get me moved to another home. I have no one."

As he watched her wilt, he decided this was a subject best left for another time. She needed to eat. "Alright, well you're free to stay with me for a little while-" she immediately gave him a quizzical look, "if that's ok with you, of course," he nervously finished.

Quietly finishing the last bit of pizza, Emma took her time deliberating on his offer before giving her reply. "Alright, I'll stay with you. Thanks. But where will I sleep? We both can't sleep in your van… right?"

Widening his eyes, he quickly replied, "Oh good heavens no! It's far too cramped! I have a house you can stay in on the other side of that hill." He said, pointing towards the stand-out hill marking the beginning of the beach, "behind the lighthouse."

"Why do you live out of your van then if you have a house to live in?" she asked in confusion.

Tension flooded his body as he stilled immediately, making Emma almost run into his back as they walked out of the restaurant. "Because  **they**  built the place" he replied with his back to her, still as a stone in the middle of the bustling boardwalk, "and  **they**  were supposed to raise Steven there when he came of age and inevitably gained his powers." Greg looked like his jaw was about to break with how tightly he had his teeth clenched, abruptly continuing on in long strides Emma struggled to keep up with.

"So," Emma began after a few silent minutes of walking beside a very stiff Greg, "are these the same people who harmed Steven as a baby?" She almost wanted to brace her hands in front of herself at how Greg whipped around at her question.

"Yes," clenching his fists, "they're the same people. And now they are gone. It's a house that is fully functional and free. Might as well use it right? Make them having been here good for  **something**." Greg finished darkly as he stormed off towards the house.

Emma paused as Greg's darkening mood filled her with the same tension she used to feel when Mr. Elms would take on that same tone of voice. Quickly shaking off the memory, she chastised herself for even comparing the two men. Greg had done nothing but help her since the moment they met, the least she could do is give him a chance.

 _What kind of situation am I getting myself into?_  Emma worried to herself.  _Well, it can't be worse than what I was dealing with out in the wilderness on my own, right? Nothing could be worse than that.  
_

* * *

A few days was all it took for Emma to settle into her new life in Beach City. She woke up every morning in an amazingly comfortable bed to a beautiful view of the beach down beyond her second story window. The house was built to be several feet above sea level and her room was situated on the only part of the second story, a hand-built loft which she adored. As a natural climber, it was a comfort to Emma to be in small, high-up places.

Down below on the first story of the house was a quaint little living room and kitchen where Greg taught her how to cook and make some basic meals for herself. Besides that, there was a single bathroom and a small porch outside the front door that made up the entire rest of the house. Very small quarters for what Greg claimed was originally built to be a house for multiple people, a detail not lost on Emma.

Several times during Greg's visits Emma thought to ask about the suspiciously newer-looking wall that closed off the living room and kitchen area but thought better of it. Greg was a closed-off man and was easily triggered when anything relating to "them" (whoever "they" were) or Steven came up. So she left well enough alone. Everyone had their past and things they kept tucked away, who was she to pester Greg about his? She knew all too well some things were best left unsaid.

After morning preparations for the day, she would walk over to The Big Donut where she routinely indulged in a coffee and cream-filled glazed donut, occasionally exchanging some pleasant small talk with Lars and Sadie while on her way to work. Sadie was always a joy to talk to, but Lars sometimes was in a mood that caused Emma to feel on-edge, those days she never stayed for long.

The walk down the single street that stretched between The Big Donut and her job was one of Emma's favorite times of the day. A lot of the patrons of Beach City would walk the opposite way down the same street on their way to the Boardwalk, giving Emma the chance to start her day off greeting all of her new friends with a cheery "Good morning!"

It reminded her of simulation games she used to play on her old portable game system. In those games the more you interacted with the folks who lived in your character's environment, the more prosperous your character was. Strange how much video games can teach you about life depending on how you look at it.

In exchange for his hospitality, Emma worked for Greg at the car wash, which she was more than willing to do. Having always been naturally handy, she was thankful for the chance to earn some money doing something she loved while repaying Greg for saving her life.

Greg found himself more happy to help, and as the months went by he began to feel an attachment growing inside of himself. No one would ever replace Steven or fully heal the heartache he suffered at losing the opportunity to be a father to his and Rose's son. But slowly, like a vine entwining itself around pieces of his heart, he began to see Emma as a father would an unexpected child. A gift he never thought to want, but now that she was here couldn't see himself living without. He could see traits in her that reminded him of Rose and could imagine Steven having if he had lived, which stung, but he welcomed the sting. Better to feel a slight pain than to continue to feel nothing at all.

Emma was hard-working and Greg noticed was extremely curious to learn about anything and everything. Containing a thirst for knowledge that was formidable for someone so young and who had gone through so much hardship. It was like watching a budding blossom bloom right before his very eyes, and he was honored to be a part of that growth. As her wounds from living in the forest healed, both internal and external, it was a joy to watch her defensive walls come down and find her place among his small piece of the world.

Emma managed to quickly befriend the entirety of Beach City's population. On days when the car wash was slow, they would often close up shop early and spend their time getting fries at Beach Citywalk Fries and exploring the beach. Going to the Funland Arcade where Emma would proceed to break the records on most of the machines or run a muck all over the Funland Amusement Park.

Days she had to herself she spent helping the people of Beach City. She often was seen helping at Fish Stew Pizza by doing any pizza deliveries Kiki was too swamped to deliver by herself. Or in Vidalia's garage posing as a model for her paintings, even helping Mayor Dewey with his political campaign by handing out flyers. No longer was she a lost child with nowhere to go. She quickly became an integral part of their little town. She belonged.

Something Emma herself noticed. Her entire demeanor changed, from cringing whenever someone got to close to touching her, to walking with a pep in her step and making sure to greet everyone she saw with a smile. Those days were his favorite, getting to see Emma smile and hear her laugh when she let go and got to be a happy kid. It was a real treat Greg tucked away in his heart, and slowly, was helping him heal his own wounds.

It was a development to their relationship Greg fought with himself on constantly. Deep down Greg sensed that his time with Emma was limited, and everything inside of his screamed not to get attached to her. It was like sand in an hourglass he felt slipping through his fingers, and he was drowning in it.

The gems would be back, he knew, and they would not stop searching until they found what they were looking for: Pink Diamond's Gem and Rose Quartz. The ones that got away from Homeworld and escaped their wrath.

Their attacks would only get worse, and with each search party, more gems would come. Next time a mere evacuation wouldn't be enough to hold them at bay from taking human life. Next time, they would start killing the inhabitants of Earth. That is what they did, Greg knew all too well, they murdered what they didn't understand. What wasn't "perfect", what didn't fit their mantra of flawless.

Before Emma, he didn't care if the gems destroyed Earth or not. Not anymore, he had nothing left to lose once they took Steven and Rose, and he didn't have the spirit to stand up against them again. He was afraid. But now he had something to protect, something worth fighting for again.

He hoped and prayed Emma wouldn't find the gem cave past the drywall he had put up in the house to seal off that chapter of his life. He hoped like Emma, having her presence in Beach City would be a fresh start for him too. He hoped he didn't have to relive how his heart was crushed and trampled into dust when he discovered that Rose, the love of his life and mother of his child, had not only been lying to him the entirety of their relationship but that what she was responsible for causing this living nightmare that had no end in sight.

She was Pink Diamond. One of the four rulers of the alien empire known as the Diamond Authority. A race based off of different gemstones whose people colonized and destroyed any planet they came in contact with. So, of course, they took her disappearance here on Earth as a direct attack and retaliated by coming to Beach City every couple months, scouring the lands from the focal point of where she was last traced, Beach City.

He resented her for the lies, for the suffering and pain she had caused him for the last fifteen years of his life, and for causing the death of their son and potentially all of Earth.

Perhaps he was selfish for not telling Emma what secrets were lurking in this city. Maybe he was an ignorant, hopeful old man for thinking he could maintain the life he was rebuilding since those dreadful days of Rose and the Crystal Gems. He knew he needed to tell Emma the circumstances surrounding himself and his past if he was to have any hope of keeping her in his life long-term, but couldn't he just hold on to this happiness a little longer? He would tell her soon.

But as the saying goes, "don't put off till tomorrow what you should get done today."

* * *

The soft glow of her laptop screen was the only light illuminating the dark house as Emma tapped away at her keyboard. The only sound piercing the darkness, aside from her typing, being the occasional ping sound from her messages inbox. Pete saw she was online and was spamming her with messages of concern.

Propping her computer on her knees, she massaged her temples as she forced herself to not read his messages. She knew she should talk to Pete, but it was just too much. It had been months since she left town, and it was obvious Pete had noticed immediately and had been searching for her. She had seen during the occasional glance she allowed herself at his profiles that all over his social media were messages and posters concerning her. Asking if anyone knew where she was, and when those leads had run dry had started a missing person report.

Guilt plagued her conscience that she hadn't told him what happened when it was so obvious her disappearance was tearing him apart. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

That night when Mrs. Elm's died, a part of her died too. She couldn't go back to that life, the mentality of being a foster kid with her life out of her control. A part of her had permanently grown up, a change etched into her DNA that could never be undone. Besides, she was prospering here! Finally an adult, given the reins to her future. That's all she had ever wanted, was Pete so selfish in his heartache to ruin that for her and want her to regress to being a hurting child? Just to be in his life?

No, she knew better than to see it that way. Pete didn't understand, how could he? He lived with both of his real parents, was an only child, and aside from some allergies had never had any real concerns growing up. He didn't know how his actions made her feel, he just cared.

That being said, she didn't have room for his form of caring at this point. She had to allow herself to be selfish and force him to let her go, for his own good. One day he would see this was for the best, that she was being truly selfless not responding to him and letting him think she didn't care. They were too different, he lived a life full of innocence and emotional health. She was forced to see just how hardened and cruel the world was and would only bring that negatively into his life. Now, in his ignorant youth, all he saw as a pretty girl who liked robotics just like him. He didn't see the damage their difference in life perspectives would cause him. She cared about him too much to be responsible for that emotional deflowering. It was time to sever the ties. Insides going numb, she took one final look at his social media and blocked him.

Feeling a flush creep up her neck and flood her cheeks and an anxiety attack began, she went to get a glass of water before continuing her work. She was trying to configure code for a robot to help her around the house, and the constant pinging had been very distracting.

* * *

A bright light invaded her closed lids and roused Emma from a deep sleep. She blearily realized she had fallen asleep while waiting for her code to load and the "100% Completed" flashing screen was the source of the disturbance. Grumpily shutting the lid to her computer and rolling over to return to sleep, Emma sighed when she again was kept from sleep. Her chest was beginning to burn.

 _Man, I probably had one too many tacos with extra spicy sauce, I hope I still have some of my reflux medicine left._  Heading to the bathroom she quickly realized it wasn't an internal burn but an external one against her skin. Her necklace was the source of the burning sensation, and it was growing hotter by the second.

Running cool water over the burning pink diamond, Emma realized the stone began to emit a soft glow deep within its core. Curiosity tinged with panic came over her as she felt the stone vibrate.  _What?_

As the stone finally cooled down and stopped it's activity, Emma turned off the bathroom light and began walking down the hall to the living room, only to be knocked off of her feet by the wall being blasted through. Fear kicking her flight instinct into high gear, she threw herself back into the bathroom and left the door open only a crack. Taking steady, calming breaths to silence herself from the possible threat, mechanical sounds and an unfamiliar voice floated to Emma from down the hall.

Through the crack of the door, Emma saw a strange, green being bring up a holographic device. Making Emma almost squeak in surprise, she began speaking to the hologram in a nasally monotone in clear English! "Log Date: 473. This is Peridot performing Earth warp-pad maintenance check. All warp pads seem to be working correctly and are ready for use."

"Warp pads?", Emma whispered to herself as Peridot continued with her log, inching closer to the cracked door to better make out what the creature was saying.  _I must be dreaming._

"...Observations indicate that the Earth is still populated, and Earth creatures known as humans are active around the warps." Peridot chirped, defensively pacing around the warp-pad.

Cylinder phalanges controlled telepathically from the robotic arm moved in fluid movements across the hologram as they punched in commands. "According to our records, additions have been made to the environment surrounding warp-pad 295. A wall that was not previously here has been built. I have proceeded to obliterate it. Awaiting further instruction." The creature known as Peridot concluded as it closed up the hologram and entered the living room.

Silently creeping across the floor to get a better view of the creature while it was inspecting the kitchen, Emma began to crawl army-style down the hallway. Only to hear the door creak in response as it swung open, creating a reverberating echo that spread throughout the entire house.

Scurrying her way back into the bathroom, Emma pleaded the sound went unheard.

It didn't.

Emma's eyes widened and her heart began to race as she heard the soft clomping of robotic feet make their way towards her. As Peridot stalked tentatively down the hall Emma peaked through the space between the shower curtain, waiting for the creature to come into view.

Pale hair styled in three sharp points that made a triangle shape filled Emma's line of sight as a pale green face set with a strange stone? Tattoo? On its forehead quickly followed. Its facial features comprised of accusatory green eyes, a pointed little nose, and a thin mouth set in grim determination. The robotic hands were out in front, poised ready to fight any threat. Its petite body was clad in a green jumpsuit with black straps crossing over its shoulders, meeting in the middle of its chest that bore a yellow diamond insignia.

The being began to relax its stance when the door once again creaked from Peridot's entry. "Gah!" it shrieked, and once more took its defensive stance. When the door made no further move Peridot slowly had one of her telekinetic appendages touch it, and it creaked. Messing with the door a bit more and seeing it was nothing more than a noise, Peridot chuckled to herself. "Humans, creating faulty devices such as this. No wonder they are still so primitive."

As Peridot went to leave the bathroom a ping went off on the other side of the house.

The laptop!

Emma mouthed a not-so-ladylike word as she watched Peridot stalk after the source of the new sound.

Following the being silently down the hall (and making sure to not move the door under any circumstances) she noticed light illuminating from her laptop across the house, still perched on her bed and cracked open.

Frowning at herself, she figured Pete was probably the source of the sound. Whenever they fought in the past and she ignored him he always found a way around her measures for space and demanded closure. Emma silently let out a sigh and wiped her sweaty palms off on her nightgown as she kept to the shadows of the hall. Pete's foolishness better not be about to cost her the laptop.

As Peridot ascended the creaking stairs, Emma let the sound mask her shifting into a better hiding position behind the kitchen counter. Peering around the counter, Emma realized with dread that Peridot had discovered the computer and was now scanning it with her hologram device.

"Scanning complete. Report sent." the hologram read back to her in a robotic monotone. Almost immediately another beeping sound went off on the hologram.

Emma shrank back as the hologram floated in mid-air and began to expand across her bedroom ceiling, revealing the face of yet another being similar to Peridot. Before the being calling from the hologram could respond Peridot immediately made a symbol across her chest and took on a submissive stance. "My Diamond, you honor me with your presence." She stammered as she looked upon the face of her caller in fear. "How can I, Peridot Faucet-3Y7B Cut-5XG, be of service to you?"

Taking a solid minute before looking up from her own assortment of numerous holographic charts and reports, the diamond raised an arched eyebrow in contempt as she addressed the lower being in a dulcet, feminine voice, "Mm, yes." She nonchalantly mused before giving Peridot her full attention. "Peridot, I recently was made aware by your captain that activity from Pink Diamond's gem has been detected in your vicinity. Report at once."

Peridot's hologram projection of the being was partially turned away from Emma's view, but from what she could see the diamond was a massive being of pure, yellow radiance. Sharp, calculating eyes that currently looked bored, yet curious, were intensely focused on Peridot and were framed by a very angular face and pointy helmet of golden hair.

Unlike Peridot, her tattoo-like stone was placed on her chest and was surrounded by not a jumpsuit, but a more regal-looking set of armor. It was obvious this being was higher up on the alien race's food chain. She exuded pure power.

A yellow-gloved hand came to rest against her powerful jawline as she awaited the obviously terrified Peridot's response.

"Well you see," the Peridot stammered and she searched for how to reply. "I came here merely to conduct our annual warp pad maintenance check. I have no news on Pink Diamond" The diamond's face scrunching in disapproval elicited an immediate response from Peridot. "However, I did find this device!" Peridot, to Emma's immense horror, showed the diamond her laptop. "I already took the liberty of scanning this device and the data reads it is an information unit for the natives here, the humans." She held up the laptop and opened it for the diamond to inspect. "If Pink Diamond is around here as you say, this device may be able to tell us more information on the whereabouts of her gem."

The diamond gave a curt nod of approval, "Very good Peridot, proceed to the Earth's moonbase. A ship will come for you shortly, and upon your return I expect this information unit to be delivered to me personally."

Upon giving that command the diamond swiftly hung up.

Breathing a shaky exhale of relief as the call ended, Peridot wasted no time in grabbing the laptop and hastening to the warp pad. Emma watched in distress as her laptop was stolen right from under her nose. As she watched Peridot retreat back through the now-exposed wall, she went slack-jawed at the sight of the warp pad. There are only so many layers of shock she could take, and she had more than met her quota for today.

As she watched Peridot zip away in a blink of light, Emma was finally able to unfold herself from behind the counter and investigate. Beyond the singed drywall rested an entire cave. There was a single door on the far end of the cave with a star insignia etched into its surface, and in the middle of the cave floor was the warp pad. A decently sized circular structure that looked to be made of sculpted foreign mineral, and was surrounded by pillars of foreign crystal. Emma could see why Greg had sealed this place off.

Feeling the gem around her neck begin to heat as she inched closer to the entrance of the cave, she turned right around and marched straight out the front door. It was time to have a talk with the owner of this crazy house.

* * *

T hree loud bangs on the side of his van jolted Greg from a sound sleep. "Yeah, yeah I'm coming. Give me a minute," he grumbled as he clumsily climbed out of his van.

Rubbing his eyes and yawning loudly, he immediately snapped awake when he noticed the look on Emma's face. His heart sank, she knew.

"Greg. Do you have any idea why an alien warp pad is located in your house?" Crossing her arms, she silently fumed as her eyes blazed with accusations.

"Why would you ask me a crazy question like that?" He tried to play coy, but Emma wasn't having it.

"Oh I don't know, maybe because an alien came from a warp pad and blasted through the wall about twenty minutes ago!" She shrieked.

Shushing her quietly he ushered her into the van. "Emma please, you don't need to wake up the entire town."

"Maybe I do!" She swatted him away. "What is going on here Greg! I know you're hiding something," her eyes betraying her hurt as they filled with unbidden tears. "Maybe I do need to wake everyone up and tell them all aliens are coming to attack us looking for this Pink Diamond person." At the mention of her name, Greg's face fell, giving away his secret.

"You know where she is," Emma accused.

"I don't." He quickly replied. "Come inside, I'll tell you everything I know."

Taking a beat to cool her emotions, she stepped into the van.

Grabbing the single photo of Steven, Greg sat crisscrossed in front of her, keeping his eyes downcast. "Do you remember how I told you that Steven was murdered?" Emma solemnly nodded.

Hunching over the picture protectively, he continued. "He was murdered by a group of the beings you saw tonight, they called themselves the 'Crystal Gems'. Individually known as Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. Garnet being a fusion of two gems, Sapphire and Ruby." He uttered gravely.

Keeping his eyes downcast, his voice began to pick up strength. "Pink Diamond was their leader, and the four of them came here to escape from their home. A distant planet called Homeworld."

"But what does that have to do with you and why YOU have one of their warp pads?" Emma impatiently interjected, being on the edge of emotional overload all night making her far more coarse to Greg's tale than she usually would be.

"Because Rose, Steven's mother, was Pink Diamond in disguise." Greg snapped, taking a few shaky breaths as he glared at Emma. "She was one of their four diamond rulers, and they want her back. That is why when you first came here we were evacuated. Every couple of months or so since her disappearance they come here to look for her, and with every visit, they become more forceful."

Running his fingers over the photo, he continued. "When Steven was born, Rose had to give up her life so that Steven could have his. Having shared a body during the pregnancy, they both became a form attached to her gem, her diamond." Looking up to make sure Emma followed, unspeakable pain etched its way across his features. "She died, in human terms. Sacrificing herself for the sake of our son. Her diamond wasn't able to maintain both forms, so one could not exist while the other was still present. That is how their people work, their bodies are mere projections of the form they choose to take on through their gem, so, Rose chose Steven's form. That is, until the Crystal Gems came."

"They were her loyal followers, or so we all thought. But they didn't care about what Rose wanted, or about what their actions would cause here on Earth." Emma leaned back against the van wall, numb, trying her hardest to absorb what Greg was telling her.

Raking his fingers through the back of his hair, he groaned as flashbacks from that fateful day came flooding back to the forefront of his mind. "When Steven was just a few days old, they came to visit him for the first time. We had been friends for a while by that point so I thought nothing of it. I even let them hold him." He mockingly laughed.

"These beings can contain their gems anywhere on their chosen form. Steven contained the diamond gem where a normal baby's belly button would be, and would always fuss and cry whenever clothes I tried to dress him in covered the gem up. So, letting Steven teach me what his gem needs were, I allowed his gem to be exposed. That is when it happened." Greg looked to age about ten years before Emma's eyes as he cried.

"The one known as Pearl ripped the gem out when she realized who Steven was, and it killed him." He wheezed, his voice taking on an inhuman pitch. "Body and gem cannot live long while being separated, and Steven's human side was vastly overpowered by his gem side. As the first human-gem hybrid known to either species, none of us knew what to do as he quickly perished."

Sitting in stunned silence as Greg's sobs slowly diminished, Emma attempted to muddle through her shock to assess the situation. So an intergalactic alien species had invaded her room just a half an hour ago, stole her laptop that contained all of her personal information, and were on the hunt for something she was pretty sure she had.

Clutching at her necklace as she worriedly chewed on her bottom lip, she fingered the diamond and felt a slight heat emanate from it once more.

As Greg collected himself, Emma prepared to unveil her necklace from under her dress when she stopped herself. Watching Greg regain his poise and collect his shattered heart, she couldn't do it. Her hesitation made no logical sense, sure, anyone else would be jumping at the chance to help heal the person breaking apart in front of their eyes if they could. But instinct was screaming at her to not unveil the diamond, and instinct had never led her astray before. Intuition told her that destiny was at play here at this moment and decided to listen to the silent feelings that washed over her. She made her choice.

"So," she awkwardly began as she shifted her dress to better hide the necklace. "What happened to the Crystal Gems and the diamond gem once... It was over?"

Flinching, Greg replied, "The Crystal Gems were apprehended on the next search party the authority sent out. Once they had her gem and she didn't reform, they fought over what to do with it, their team began to form cracks, and as they repeatedly lied and stole the gem from each other, Pink Diamond's gem was eventually lost here on earth. No one knows what happened to it for sure."

Squeezing her eyes shut as her internal conflict over the diamond against her sternum blazed within her. She pressed on with her decision to stay silent and changed the subject.

"What should I do then?" Emma proceeded to explain how the call between Peridot and Yellow Diamond went as Greg looked at her in horror.

"They took your laptop, and mentioned wanting to come back to track down the owner?" He inquired in a broken voice.

"Yes," replied Emma as realization hit. This means that she would be their number one target for their next search, and, unbeknownst to Greg, she had a GPS to her very location wrapped around her neck. She was screwed.

"You need to leave, right now then. Hurry and gather your things, and then meet me back here before they return." He ushered as he started up the van. "I'll drive you to the beach border, and we'll go from there."

Ripping through the house Emma grabbed clothes and her things as fast as her brain could think of what to pack. Throwing her half-closed bag over her shoulder, she was halfway down the loft stairs when the warp pad activated.

Peridot, and a huge, lumbering gem that looked like a bodyguard with headphones on for gems came forth from the warp. "There she is! Grab her Topaz!" Peridot screeched. Before Emma could properly drop down the stairs Topaz had her in its grasp. She fought and she screamed but it was no use. As soon as Topaz had gotten ahold of her she was fused with the being and was frozen inside of her body, unable to move or speak.

Eyes barely above fusion level, the last thing Emma saw before being warped away was Greg holding onto the door frame for dear life, as if it was the only thing keeping him from collapsing, his attempt to save her was too late.

Emma was on her way to Homeworld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mentioned simulation games is a reference to Harvest Moon, Story of Seasons, and Stardew Valley for anyone wondering. Love those games! As always, thank you for reading and for your continued support of this story! All comments/likes/follows are a huge source of inspiration and a joy to see.


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